September 25, 2026

Updates from Dr. White

Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) Grant

- We may hear as early as this week regarding our application for the Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) Grant.
- If awarded, this grant would provide an exciting opportunity to strengthen teacher leadership and retain highly effective educators in the classroom.
- The MCL model provides selected teacher leaders with a $5,000–$10,000 annual increase in pay to coach and support other teachers while continuing to work directly with students.
- MCLs can support multiple classrooms and teachers, providing coaching, modeling, collaboration, and instructional support.
- This creates a meaningful leadership pathway for highly effective teachers without requiring them to leave the classroom.
- I will update the Board as soon as we receive notification.

North Carolina School Board Innovation Awards

- Monday, September 28, is the deadline to apply for the North Carolina School Board Innovation Awards, which recognize innovative work at the Fall Conference.
- Martin County Schools will once again apply for the Innovation Award with our submission:
  - “Martin Offers More: Transforming Rural Education Through Innovation, Opportunity, and Accountability.”
- The submission highlights the intentional work undertaken over the past three years and how we have transformed opportunities for students through accountability, innovation, expanded opportunities, CTE, Early College, dual enrollment, and other initiatives.

Fall Conference Presentations

- I have also submitted the “Martin Offers More” topic as a session proposal for presentation at the Fall Conference.
- At Ms Ramona Powers’ request, I also submitted a second session focused on marketing and telling the story of Martin County Schools. She shared that this is very needed at the conference.
- This means Martin County Schools has two session proposals under consideration for the conference.
  - School Participation in the NCSBA Contests
    1. All of our schools are participating in the Fall Conference video and artwork contests.
    2. I am excited that Martin County Schools will be so well represented and that we will have the opportunity to showcase the creativity, talent, innovation, and school pride across our district.
    3. We look forward to celebrating our students and staff at the Fall Conference!

EJ Hayes Construction Grant

- Friday, October 2, is the deadline to submit the Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund application for the EJ Hayes project.
- I am working closely with Ashley Dennis, the former architect who helped us secure the $62 million grant for the new Martin County High School, as well as John Barath, to complete this application.
- We are working diligently to put forward the strongest application possible and to communicate the significant needs and opportunities associated with the EJ Hayes project.
- Regardless of the outcome of this application cycle, we will continue pursuing this opportunity and plan to reapply next year if necessary.
- Our goal is to continue leveraging state and external funding opportunities to address our facility needs while minimizing the financial burden on Martin County taxpayers.

Martin County High School Football

The Martin County High School football game against Hunt High School, which was postponed due to weather, has been rescheduled for tomorrow night at Hunt High School in Wilson.

Martin County High School Homecoming Week

This is Homecoming Week for Martin County High School, and both the traditional high school and Martin Innovative Early College will be participating in festivities throughout the week.
Students and staff will celebrate with a variety of school spirit activities and events, culminating in the crowning of our Homecoming King and Queen on Friday, October 2.
Our original Homecoming opponent was scheduled to be First Flight High School. Unfortunately, First Flight recently discontinued its football program, requiring us to find a new opponent.
We were able to secure Rosewood High School as our new opponent, allowing us to keep our Homecoming game and traditions in place.
We are excited to celebrate our students, staff, families, and community during Homecoming Week and look forward to a great night of school spirit on Friday!

Review

Principals’ Meeting and Attendance Initiative

This week, we held our first principals’ meeting of the year, welcoming Sean Kellogg from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to present an analysis of attendance data across Martin County Schools. Overall, most of our schools are performing at or above expectations when compared with schools serving students with similar poverty levels. While this is encouraging, our goal remains clear: every child should be in school, every day, regardless of their circumstances. We are currently exploring two support programs through the Department of Public Instruction that would provide professional development and individualized support for each school as we work collaboratively with families to improve attendance. Through this focused effort, our goal is to achieve 95% daily attendance across the district and ensure that every student has consistent access to learning.

We also spent time reviewing our strategic plan and examining progress in several key areas, including graduation rates and employee satisfaction. Our Teacher Working Conditions Survey reflects encouraging progress across the district, with 94% of staff reporting that our schools are good places to work and learn. I have included a snapshot of the data that Mrs. Pate and her team are compiling as part of our strategic plan progress monitoring. This work will be presented to the Board in October and will provide a more comprehensive look at our progress toward district goals and priorities. This data comes directly from the state Teacher Working Conditions Survey. We will also use our Insight for Dr. White Survey which is given annually.

RFQ Material Testing - New High School Project:The deadline for the RFQ for material testing and special inspection services closed on September 17th at 3:00 p.m.

4 companies submitted the RFQ prior to the deadline. These companies include Terracon, ECS South East LLC, Building and Earth Sciences, and S&ME. We are in the process of organizing a review team that will collectively select the most qualified responder.

Secure Entrances: This has been quite the project! The architect team has entered into the construction document phase of the design process for the secure entrances. The construction document phase is the final stage of the design process. Oakley and Collier have submitted construction documents for the secure entrances to DPI for review. DPI will issue comments as needed which will receive necessary responses from the architect team. Once approved, a certificate of review will be issued for each entrance. Once the certificates of review are received, we will begin the bidding process for the projects. Projects are on track to be completed during the summer of 2027.

Martin Middle

The gym floor is now complete, and it looks fantastic! We still have some deep cleaning to do on the bleachers, but the finished floor is a major improvement. Letters have also been added to the front entry, providing an additional finishing touch. We will be inviting the board to see it soon! More info to come.

The school looks awesome, and the merger is going incredibly well! It’s exciting to see the transformation taking shape and the school community coming together.

Compass Academy Update

The implementation of new routines and procedures at Compass Academy has required an adjustment, but things are going very well, and everyone has settled into a productive groove. As with any new initiative, establishing consistency takes time, and I appreciate the flexibility and commitment of our staff as we continue to refine our processes and build a strong foundation for the program.

We have begun offering Exceptional Children (EC) services directly within the Compass Academy program, allowing students to receive support within the program rather than relying on teachers outside the program. This is an important step in ensuring that we meet the individual needs of our students.

We anticipate that a school counselor will begin this week, adding another important layer of support for our students. We have also secured a substitute to fill the position previously held by Mr. Prettyman, who was released on Friday. Our substitute is a retired certified teacher who is very excited to be part of the Compass Academy. We appreciate his willingness to join our team and contribute his experience and expertise.

At this time, we do not have any elementary students enrolled at Compass Academy. However, we have received one referral for a student who transferred to our district from an alternative elementary school in Suffolk. This is a high-needs situation, and our team is working to prepare for the addition of elementary students and ensure appropriate supports are in place.

Our electives are ongoing, providing students with opportunities to explore interests and develop new skills. Mrs. A Whitaker regularly works with students to encourage them to consider their career interests, future pathways, and the possibilities available to them beyond high school. This career-focused work is an important part of helping students see a future for themselves and understand the opportunities they can pursue.

Overall, Compass Academy continues to move forward in a very positive direction, and we are encouraged by the progress being made as we establish routines, strengthen support services, and prepare to expand our student population.

School Updates

MCS School Updates

Updates from District Directors and Coordinators

Department Updates

Athletic Updates

Martin County Athletics Scores-26-27

This Week in MCS at at Glance

Click this link to see the monthly calendar or check specific event details- https://www.martin.k12.nc.us/events?view=cal-month

SAVE THE DATES.....

2026-2027 SCHOOL YEAR CALENDAR AT A GLANCE

THIS WEEK'S MCS HIGHLIGHTS

Future Gators, we’re ready for you!

We officially kicked off our recruitment season with a visit to Martin County Middle School to talk to 8th graders! Who better to share what makes Martin Innovative Early College High School so special than our very own student ambassadors? They did an incredible job sharing their experiences, answering questions, and showing true Gator leadership!

Want to learn more about joining our next freshman class?

MIECHS Preview Night

Next Thursday, October 1st

6:00 PM

Innovation Campus

All 8th graders and families living in Martin County are invited to join us. Come see what being an Early College Gator is all about—we can’t wait to meet you! Tag an 8th-grade family who needs to see this!

Celebrating Excellence

During the September 14 meeting of the Martin County Board of Education, two teachers were recognized as outstanding educators.

Jessica Dail, a math teacher at Rodgers Elementary School, was named Outstanding Elementary Mathematics Teacher (K-5) for the 2026-2027 school year for Martin County Schools.

As an award honoree, Dail received a free one-year membership in The North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics and will be recognized at the NCCTM 2026 Annual Conference held at Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on November 5-6. A special conference feature will be the recognition of all Outstanding Elementary School Mathematics Teacher award recipients at the NCCTM Awards Ceremony.

Haylee Perry, Kindergarten Teacher at Jamesville Elementary School, was honored as Martin County Schools’ nominee for the NCCAT 2027 Burroughs Wellcome Fund NC Beginning Teacher of the Year.

Selected after her first year as a classroom teacher (2025-2026), Perry began her education career as a Teacher Assistant at Jamesville Elementary School in 2022 before completing the requirements to become a classroom teacher.

She is the second MCS Beginning Teacher nominee in two years to begin her career as a Teacher Assistant.

Perry will now begin the requirements to hopefully move on to the next level of the competition. The process will conclude when the state winner is announced in the spring.

CHECK OUT THAT COURT!!!

Today was a special day at Martin County Middle School as we officially revealed our newly transformed gym to our students—and then got to see it come to life as our volleyball team played AT HOME!

A huge shoutout to Coach Horn, whose hard work and determination helped get our gym ready so our girls could finally take their home court. Seeing our students in the stands, our team on the court, and our Gator community together made all the work worth it!

This is more than a gym makeover. It’s OUR space—a place where our Gators will compete, cheer, celebrate, and make memories together!

Not to be overshadowed by cute little cheerleaders, there was a really sharp band and some awesome Gator football Friday night! Here are a few highlights!

A huge thank you to our Martin County High School, NC Cheerleaders and Coaches

A huge thank you to our Martin County High School, NC Cheerleaders and Coaches for making another Marco Mini Cheer Camp possible for our future cheerleaders! What an unforgettable experience — performing alongside their high school friends on the field during last night's game! The young ladies did an awesome job!

Our Martin Innovative Elementary students spent a joyful day at the Roanoke/Cashie River Center in Windsor, NC

Literacy in ALL Disciplines at MCHS!

Today, MCHS teachers had the opportunity to learn with Dr. Rebecca Harper as she provided professional development focused on literacy across all content areas.

Literacy isn’t just an English classroom responsibility—it is an essential part of learning in every discipline. From analyzing information and communicating ideas to interpreting complex texts and using content-specific vocabulary, our teachers are finding ways to strengthen literacy skills while teaching their standards.

We are proud of our teachers for continuing to Level Up! their practice and work together to help every Gator become a stronger reader, thinker, communicator, and learner.

At MCHS, we’re constructing excellence—one classroom at a time!

What an AMAZING field trip!

Our students had the sweetest day exploring the fascinating world of honeybees! This was the perfect cross-curricular experience, connecting Social Studies, Science, Math, and History all in one day.

Students learned how honeybees were brought to North America as part of the Columbian Exchange, how honey was used during World War II, the important role honeybees play in pollination, and even the mathematics behind their incredible hives! Students discovered why bees build their honeycomb using hexagons—the strongest shape for holding weight while efficiently using space.

And of course, learning outside the classroom is even better when our community opens its doors to our students! We are incredibly thankful for the local businesses who welcome our Martin Innovative Middle School students and help make these experiences possible.

Lunch at Hardison’s BBQ

A behind-the-scenes tour of Lee’s Bees

Ice cream at Mackey’s Ferry Peanuts

Thank you to everyone who made this unforgettable learning experience possible! Our students learned, explored, asked questions, and had a whole lot of fun along the way!

Our Rodgers Cubs were SHINING on stage!

We were SO proud to see 10 Rodgers students in the Martin Community Players’ performance of Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr.! They were absolutely PHENOMENAL! It was so much fun watching our Cubs showcase their talent, confidence, and hard work on stage.

A small treat goes a LONG ways!!

A little Friday love for our MCM staff!

We are so thankful for the people who show up every day and give so much of themselves to our students and to each other. This week has been busy, so today we rolled the Cookie Cart through the halls just to bring a few smiles and remind our staff how much they are loved and appreciated.

It may have just been cookies, but we hope our staff knows the message behind them was much bigger: We see you. We appreciate you. And we are so thankful we’re doing this together!

Stronger Together.

RES Staff Rock, Paper, Scissors Showdown!

Congrats to our winners, Mrs. Troop and Mrs. Jenkins!

MCHS PARENT & GUARDIAN NIGHT

A huge THANK YOU to all of our 11th grade parents and guardians who joined us for Parent & Guardian Night! We appreciate you taking the time to connect with our staff, learn more about the junior year experience, and support your student’s journey toward graduation and beyond.

Your partnership makes a difference! We are proud to have such supportive families helping our Gators Level Up and continue Constructing Excellence.

Thank you for being part of the MCHS family!

Weekly Initiatives/Weekly Happenings

Leadership starts young at Jamesville Elementary!

Our students are getting opportunities to step up, lead, and learn from one another in the classroom! Whether helping with a lesson, demonstrating a skill, or sharing their learning with classmates, these young leaders are building confidence along the way.

Way to lead, JES!

Connecting literature to music-in the library! Today we read or reviewed nursery rhymes or popular stories. Then we broke out the “Boomwhackers” to play the songs that go with the stories! Students loved making a musical connection to their favorite stories, all while reading notes and keeping the beat!

Measuring Up in First Grade!

Our Jamesville first graders are beginning to learn all about measurement - and what better way to practice than measuring each other!

Hands-on learning makes math meaningful AND fun!

One of our favorite days of the year. The day that we welcome our new family members into their houses. The day that we teach them what it feels like to be celebrated. Congratulations on all of our new friends who were sorted into their houses today. Remember, four houses, one family!

Small Groups in Full Effect at Jamesville Elementary!

Opportunities for students to practice skills and gain confidence is a game changer in the classroom!

We love seeing our students learning and growing together!

7th grade Impact students are using graphic organizers to strengthen their understanding and comprehension while working collaboratively with their peers. Through meaningful conversations, they are making connections, sharing ideas, and building vocabulary along the way.

We love seeing our Gators actively engaged in learning—not just reading the text, but thinking, talking, and learning together!

Our MIMS students used their origami skills from Clubs to create special thank-you cards for our field trip! A simple way to show gratitude while putting their creativity to work!

Martin Innovative Middle School 8th graders combined History and Language Arts this week with a creative project focused on the Medieval Ages. Students were challenged to showcase what they visualize when thinking about this time period by designing their own unique pair of sunglasses. They brought their ideas to life by creating images and placing them on the lenses, allowing them to creatively demonstrate their understanding of the Medieval Ages.

Building Stronger Sentences in 4th Grade!

Our Rodgers 4th graders worked together to expand their sentences by adding adjectives ! Students collaborated with partners to turn simple sentences into complete, more detailed sentences.

Great teamwork AND great writing happening at Rodgers

Our CUBS are PAWS-itively AMAZING!

Another week means another chance to celebrate students who are making great choices and doing awesome things at Rodgers! Check out this week’s PAWS for Applause recipients and the special reasons they were nominated!

Sophie Harrison: “Helping a student who fell during carpool”

Lance Moore: “I observed Lance being kind to a classmate.”

Ann-Claire Newkirk: “Always being so polite to adults when they speak to her!”

Bryson White: “ Assisting another student with their water bottle in the lunch line.”

Celebrating Constitution Day at Rodgers!

Our Cubs celebrated Constitution Day with lots of hands-on learning! Students learned about the Constitution, rights and responsibilities, and the three branches of government through books, discussions, voting, and activities.

One class created and signed its own Classroom Constitution, while another used We the Kids to explore rights and responsibilities!

Learning about citizenship AND showing our patriotic spirit!

Mrs. Stewart's class is working in collaborative groups to practice sorting and separating data into meaningful groups — a key skill for analyzing information

Another great day for the running Gators! This time they set their sights on the Pirate XC Invitational at ECU North Recreational Complex sponsored by Fleet Feet Greenville.

Ethan Copeland secured a top 30 finish in the boys' championship with a time of 18:44.34 (his second best time of the season) and Katibeth Speller finished in the top 25 of the girls' championship race with her season best time of 24:24.33.

Five runners secured personal records as well. They were:

Kevin Bullock 23:04.93 (-2:17)

Jayden Davis 31:46.78 (-:08)

Santiago Duarte 26:31.97 (-3:56)

Mateo Lopez 24:24.14 (-:52)

Jill Powell 26:55.97 (-:56)

The conference season continues on Wednesday at Currituck.

Our MCHS Foods students are getting hands-on in the Cooking Lab! From learning kitchen skills to following recipes, practicing food preparation, and working together, students are turning classroom learning into real-world experiences.

These labs give our students the opportunity to create, collaborate, problem-solve, and build skills they can use beyond the classroom.

We love seeing our Gators learning by doing!

Keep cooking, Gators!

Coding, Creating & Learning in STEAM at Jamesville!

Our JES students have been busy putting technology to work! Kindergarten students used Bee-Bots to practice directional coding and letter recognition, while 1st graders used Bee-Bots for letter recognition and decoding CVC words. 2nd graders took on Indi cars, combining coding with mapping skills as they created their own maps of Jamesville Elementary! So much hands-on learning, problem-solving, and FUN happening in STEAM!

Exploring Volume in 5th Grade!

Our 5th graders took a hands-on approach to math as they constructed rectangular prisms and worked with partners to create composite figures and investigate volume!

Working together to build, calculate, and problem-solve took critical thinking and engagement to a whole new level! We love seeing math come to life at Jamesville!

Start with Hello Spirit Week: Thoughtful Thursday!

Today our students were encouraged to include others, spread kindness, and lift each other up! Check out these awesome students from Mrs. Leggett’s Kindergarten Class and Mrs. Weaver’s 3rd Grade Class rocking their t-shirts with positive messages! Students also created a t-shirt design today with a positive message.

What an APPLE-solutely fun day of learning!

Last week, students enjoyed a day full of apple activities while reviewing main idea and key details, graphing, and life cycles!

Of course, there was plenty of tasty learning too - sampling different apples, trying homemade applesauce, and making apple nachos with their favorite toppings!

A BIG thank you to everyone who donated items to help make this special day a success!

Hook: Learning the Constitution — with HANDPRINTS!

Mrs. Ivey’s 1st graders dove into civics today and made their own classroom constitution, writing rules they believe in and signing with painted handprints. Bright colors, big ideas, and tiny hands making a promise to be kind and fair.

Kindergarten lawmakers in Mrs. Bland’s class made their very own classroom Constitution — complete with rules and signatures! Tiny hands, big responsibility.

IMPORTANT SCHOOL INFORMATION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS!

Parents and guardians, go ahead and download Here Comes the Bus—an app designed to help families track their child’s school bus and stay informed while it is on the route.

Downloading the app now means one less thing to do once the school year begins!

Learn more and find download instructions here:

Parent Navigation...

Making sure our parents know how to address concerns.

ATHLETIC SCHEDULES SCORES& UPDATES

MCS ATHLETIC WEB LINK (CLICK HERE)

MCS Organizational Chart- Updated

Board Meeting Schedule

Page updated

Report abuse

September 25, 2026

Updates from Dr. White

Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) Grant

We may hear as early as this week regarding our application for the Multi-Classroom Leader (MCL) Grant.

If awarded, this grant would provide an exciting opportunity to strengthen teacher leadership and retain highly effective educators in the classroom.

The MCL model provides selected teacher leaders with a $5,000–$10,000 annual increase in pay to coach and support other teachers while continuing to work directly with students.

MCLs can support multiple classrooms and teachers, providing coaching, modeling, collaboration, and instructional support.

This creates a meaningful leadership pathway for highly effective teachers without requiring them to leave the classroom.

I will update the Board as soon as we receive notification.

North Carolina School Board Innovation Awards

Monday, September 28, is the deadline to apply for the North Carolina School Board Innovation Awards, which recognize innovative work at the Fall Conference.

Martin County Schools will once again apply for the Innovation Award with our submission:

“Martin Offers More: Transforming Rural Education Through Innovation, Opportunity, and Accountability.”

The submission highlights the intentional work undertaken over the past three years and how we have transformed opportunities for students through accountability, innovation, expanded opportunities, CTE, Early College, dual enrollment, and other initiatives.

Fall Conference Presentations

I have also submitted the “Martin Offers More” topic as a session proposal for presentation at the Fall Conference.

At Ms Ramona Powers’ request, I also submitted a second session focused on marketing and telling the story of Martin County Schools. She shared that this is very needed at the conference.

This means Martin County Schools has two session proposals under consideration for the conference.

School Participation in the NCSBA Contests

All of our schools are participating in the Fall Conference video and artwork contests.

I am excited that Martin County Schools will be so well represented and that we will have the opportunity to showcase the creativity, talent, innovation, and school pride across our district.

We look forward to celebrating our students and staff at the Fall Conference!